World of Warcraft: Cataclysm digital pre-sale lets you play the minute the servers go live

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Blizzard has decided to cater for all those World of Warcraft players who can’t wait a moment longer than they have to to play the Cataclysm expansion. A new digital pre-sale option on Battle.net is being offered that will allow you to start playing the moment the servers go live on December 7.

To qualify you need to head over to Battle.net and login to your account. Then simply complete the digital pre-sale process and pay with a credit card to initiate the digital upgrade. The money will be taken the day you pre-order not the day of release.

Now here’s the important bit you must do once the sale has gone through:

Once a player has completed the digital upgrade, he or she will need to log in to World of Warcraft at least once prior to December 7 to begin the background-downloading process and prepare for Deathwing’s return. Until then, keep watching the skies….

Anyone completing this process will be able to start playing at exactly 12:01 am PST on December 7. Everyone else will be waiting in long lines outside retail stores, awaiting the mail to arrive, or sitting there waiting for the disc version to install. So if you hate waiting this is the way to get Cataclysm.

Here’s a FAQ Blizzard has kindly shared with us that helps clarify a few points:

Q. When will my credit card (or other payment method) be charged?

A. You will be charged on the day that you place your pre-order for World of Warcraft: Cataclysm.

Q. Why do I need to log in to the game once after I’ve upgraded?

A. The first time you log in after pre-ordering, your account will become eligible to begin receiving the Cataclysm data when it’s available. The data will automatically download in the background while you play World of Warcraft or while you have the Launcher window open.

Q. Can I pre-order a physical copy of Cataclysm and have it shipped?

A. Not from Blizzard Entertainment, but many retailers offer pre-orders of physical boxes and Collector’s Editions.

Q. In what regions is the Cataclysm pre-sale available? What day/time is Cataclysm launching in my region?

The pre-sale is available in the following regions, with realms scheduled to launch at the following times: